Breezewood

Jay

Jay and the boys went camping and riding, along with some friends from their dirt bike club, at a place called Breezewood Proving Grounds in Pennsylvania.  It is a huge ATV and Motocross park.  There is a kids track and two adult tracks, so the kids weren't in fear of getting run over and the adults didn't have to worry about little ones getting in their way.  It worked out perfect and it appears they had a great time.  Its about three hours away, so its not something they will do regularly, but definitely a special treat to be able to go out there when they can...and it has full hookups, so Mommy may even join them next time :)

Scotty on the green bike 

Zac on the yellow bike

Camp

One of the guys from the club was able to get some pics of Jay

Insane in the Membrane

Apparently I have Insanity on the brain because tonite the boys were alittle too rambunctious for me, so I sent them outside to run bases and do push ups.  Hey, whatever it takes....

"I'm Smilin' Because I Love It" -- Shaun T

The official pictures of the event by Powerade Zero came out.  This is what its like to meet a real live superhero :)  LOVE!

Torski, Kiya and Me with Shaun T

No, he's really not a cardboard cutout!!

Of course I had to crop it!! 

I met an amazing and inspiring group of women that day! 

A glorious view from the front row!! 

The MACHINE!

Diggin' Deep with Shaun T

I started the Insanity program back in May and at that time I started following the creator and instructor of Insanity, Shaun T, on Facebook.  Found out that he was on a fitness tour pushing the Powerade Zero sports drink and just so happened to be coming to the DC area...an opportunity to actually workout in person with this man was something I was not going to miss.  So I joined the group, RSVP'd for the event and followed it, slowly watching the attendance number go up as the event got closer.  I was one of the first people to join the group and by the time the date rolled around, the number of people set to attend had jumped to 290.  With each new person added to the group, I lost a little bit of confidence about going.  I really hate to do these things by myself, but I know that if I wait for someone to do them with, I will never go.  So I suck it up and I just do it!  I had no idea how big the venue was or how many people it could accommodate, so I made up my mind to get up early and head out so I could be sure to get a spot.  Afterall, it was over an hour away at a fitness center in Landover, MD.  I hadn't heard the best things about that area and was a little concerned about going alone in the wee hours of the morning (Jay wasn't too happy about it), but I was determined.  I got up at 330 AM and was on the road by 4.  I arrived alittle after 5 AM and sat in my car for over an hour before I started seeing employees show up.  I was there before the birds woke up and it was a little freaky.  There was a moment that I almost said "forget it" and was about to leave, but decided to stick it out.  Probably not the smartest thing to do being a sitting duck in an unknown vacant area but fortunately all turned out okay.

At least the parking lot was well lit 

I really wanted to sleep, but I was just too anxious!

Finally at 630, I decided to get out and stand in line....or, at least start the line.  There were only two other gals there and it was just the three of us for quite awhile.  So much for getting there early to beat the rush, it was a little disheartening to know I could've slept another two hours and been just fine!  But to be honest, it was worth it because meeting them calmed my nerves and gave me someone to hang out with while we waited.

The gal in the middle, Danesha, has lost over 100 lbs in three years by using Beachbody programs!  So inspiring!



We found out the night before by way of the Facebook page that the first 25 people in line would get a VIP wristband, which would allow us access to the meet and greet with Shaun T after the workout session!  That upped the ante and I was determined to be one of those people, hence getting there early.  Sure enough, we got our bands and we were set!  Here we are with a couple other gals that joined our group while we sat around waiting for the workout to begin:

By this time, there were a lot more people and as soon as the music started, we rushed over and were able to get right in front of the stage, which is only fitting since afterall we were the first ones there!  We did a warm up with some random people and then....enter Shaun T.  I had put my phone away at first so I didn't get any pics until halfway through the workout when we had a 30 sec break and I could run over and get it.  Here's just a few shots of this machine of a man:

Had to hold this pose for 30 seconds...ouch!  Clearly I wasn't holding, I was snapping pics! 

And again on the other side... 

Just a little pep talk between sets 

30 second break 

Trying to get a shot with me and Shaun T :) 

This was a move that I had not experienced until today...aye yie yie.  First you lean back and hold... 

Then you lift the right leg and hold. 

Then the left leg...still holding...

Then you pulse in and out....oh mama, that was not easy AT ALL.  He is a machine!

Another break...for me anyway, so I could snap a pic of those blessed abs...

Being in a live class forces you to work even harder than say, the comfort and privacy of your own home with your DVD player, because you are surrounded by other people and you feed off of them.  Not to mention the fact that Shaun would go into the audience during almost every set and get right up in people's faces.  At one point, he planted himself right beside me and we were in sync doing jumping jack twists, where you do a jack and then bend down touching your toes with the opposite hand.  Those are challenging, but THE man was right next to me, I had to be tough and show him what a badass I was...even though it was hard to concentrate! :)

After the workout, waiting in the VIP line to meet SHAUN T!

In order to speed up the process, the event coordinators took the pictures of us posing with Shaun instead of letting us use our own cameras, so I haven't received a copy of that yet.  But it was really cool to meet him, give him a hug and tell him how he helped change my life!  He is the reason I kept pushing "play".  He is my Superhero :) 

My Powerade bottle and my sweatband that Shaun T initialed :) 

A bling tank top and a matching Shaun T wristband, I could not pass up!



Slippin' and Slidin'

The boys got a slip n slide from Auntie and Uncle and we finally set it up....they had a blast.  Trev was skeptical at first, but as you can see, he "dove" right in with the help of his brother...

Dirt Biker In Training...

'Tis a fact that Trev will be riding by his 3rd birthday....even if it means he will have training wheels at first.  He's got the bug and wants to do everything his older brothers are doing.

Let Freedom Ring

4th of July was low key and quiet around our house - literally.  Jay says he heard some, but I didn't hear one firecracker!  That's a far cry from our last neighborhood, where they were heard days before the 4th and all night long on the 4th.  We have also had neighborhood BBQs the past few years, so this year was a change of pace but it was good.  There is so much to do around DC on the 4th and maybe next year we will venture into the city for one of the parades and firework shows.  But frankly, its so hot here the last thing I wanted to do was pack up all the kids and walk around in the city with millions of other people!  I guess I am getting old...

We started the morning out by breaking out the NINE squirt guns that Scotty got for his birthday and the boys, even Jay and Diane, joined in a water gun fight.  Didn't snap any pics of that for some reason.  But then they broke out the new water hose from Auntie and Uncle:

And then the regular sprinkler:

In Washington, we had to set these things up in the sunshine to keep from getting cold. Here, we gotta play in the shade to keep from scorching ourselves!

We considered going to the Patomac Nationals baseball game because they were due to have a fireworks show after the game.  But believe it or not, I wasn't up for a baseball game!  The stadium is so close to our house, so I thought maybe we could skip the game and just go over to their parking lot when it came time for the show.  However, there is a little soft serve ice cream place just up the road from us and Jay had overheard that they can see a clear view of the fireworks from their parking lot, so we thought it would be fun to get ice cream and watch from there instead of going anywhere too far or around too much of a crowd.  But, apparently, that's what a few people thought!

The parking lot was packed when we pulled up and the little ice cream joint was full of people!  But it wasn't so terrible, we were able to find a perfect parking spot and the line inside the place moved quickly.

Next time, Zac gets a cup 

Even I indulged; vanilla with chocolate and peanut butter sauce (zero calories of course) 

We waited for about two hours 

And it was over in 10 minutes! :) 

But the boys had fun staying out late in the dark

Even though we were sweating just sitting there... 

It was a great night to briefly celebrate our nation's birthday!